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Remove the wolf from its 'endangered' status under the Montana Nongame and Endangered Species Act 

 concurrent with federal action removing the wolf from legal protection under the federal Endangered Species 

 Act. 



Reclassify the wolf as a species "in need of management" consistent with Montana Statutes 87-5-101 through 

 122, which convey authority to FWP and the f^WP Commission to adopt regulations on take, including 

 permitting livestock producers to take depredating wolves, hunting seasons, trapping regulations, etc. The FWP 

 Commission may then confer a big game or furbearer status to the wolf when wolf numbers have increased to 

 the point where regulated public take becomes appropriate. It should be the intent of the FWP Commission that 

 regulated public take provisions allow hunting and trapping activities, subsequent to Commission oversight. 



Amend Statute 87-3-130 to include pets (domestic dogs) and guard dogs (including guard llamas) under the 

 defense of life and property concept, if legal interpretation concludes that they are not already. 



Funding 



The Council believes that implementation of the Montana Wolf Management Plan should be contingent upon 

 adequate funding. We recommend that the State of Montana pursue all possible funding sources including, but not 

 limited to, public/private foundations, federal or state appropriations, and other private sources. 



Education 



A wolf management plan for the state will be controversial. Personal opinions, anecdotal experiences, and biases 

 for and against the wolf lead to emotional and often irrational viewpoints, creating a challenging environment in 

 which to manage wolves. Therefore, the Council recognizes the importance, value, and need for an educational 

 program to parallel management activities. The objectives of a sound wolf management education program should 

 be to provide .science-based and factual infonnation regarding the wolf and its management in Montana, in the hopes 

 that the public will become more knowledgeable, more objective, and less emotional regarding this species and its 

 management. 



Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks should be the lead agency in the formulation and dissemination of an educational 

 program. However, the information sources should include other state and federal agencies, non-governmental 

 organizations, and tribes. All material provided to FWP and included in the program must be validated as factual 

 and have a foundation of scientific data. Assuring the soundness of information will be the responsibility of FWP. 

 This collaborative approach is also necessary to ensure that different groups do not put out conflicting information, 

 which could undermine agency credibility and erode public acceptance of any wolf management program. 



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